Oshawa councillor’s pre-election makeover didn’t break any rules

Amy England was transformed from college student to polished professional before last fall’s election.

A promotional poster for Amy England's makeover segment. England went on to win an Oshawa seat in October's municipal election.

By:Carola VyhnakUrban Affairs Reporter, Published on Mon Jul 25 2011

Personal grooming is not an election expense, a committee has decided after denying a resident’s request to audit an Oshawa councillor’s campaign costs because she had a televised beauty makeover.

Amy England was transformed from college student to polished professional before last fall’s election, prompting accusations by Bill Steele that she failed to report personal-care gifts, services and publicity worth an estimated $200,000.

In seeking a compliance audit, Steele, who failed in his bid for a council seat, said England “unfairly used a reality TV show ... to get votes.” He called the 30-minute segment, which aired on W Network last July, a “huge advantage.”

England, 30, received wardrobe and makeup help as well as dental and laser eye treatments in an episode of Rags to Red Carpet called “The Candidate.”

The regional councillor reiterated on Monday that she hadn’t done anything wrong, saying she had “an outpouring of support from the community.”

The makeover was for personal improvement, her lawyer Allan Furlong told the three-member compliance audit committee last week. The panel, as is common, gave no reasons for their decision.

Steele, who used research and industry sources to come up with the $200,000 figure, was disappointed and surprised by the outcome.

“I still feel I’m 100 per cent right,” he said, adding he hasn’t decided if he will appeal. Among his complaints was his assertion that England received goods and services that were each worth more than the $750 limit on individual contributions imposed by the Municipal Elections Act.

The citizens’ panel also denied a taxpayer’s request to audit failed mayoral candidate Louise Parkes’s election expenses over claims she used the resources of the Downtown Oshawa Board of Management in her campaign.

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